


Lighthearted

by LizAnn_5869



Series: Life, Or What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans [1]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dating, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 08:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4053103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's another damn fun fair in Hardy's backyard.....maybe Miller and her kids would like to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lighthearted

**Author's Note:**

> A bit of happy fluff that explains how Hardy got that picture on his desk in "Framed."

Ellie was just finishing her traffic shift when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Hardy, and she could just hear the words in his gruff Scottish accent, extraordinarily pissed off. "I haven't slept all night. You won't believe it. Another damn fun fair behind my house!" Ellie snickered, then responded.

"There's always one this time of the year, Hardy. It's the first one of tourist season. You were at the Traders last year at this time and probably didn't even know it was there." 

A pause, then text rolled across the screen: "So I have this to look forward to all damn summer?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "We have fun fairs in other locations too. You're just the lucky sod who gets two in his back yard, I guess."

Another pause. "Want to bring the kids over?" Her eyebrows shot up. He'd just gone from gruff, pissy Hardy to asking her for a date. A date with the kids in tow, mind you, but a date. She immediately texted back, because she thought he'd probably change his mind if she waited. "Sure. Give me an hour, and we can be over. Maybe longer, I'll have to feed the boys."

A response was swift. "We can get pizza and eat it here at the house."

"An hour then."

"I'll be there." This all was still so new. Slowly progressing from takeout after they did the follow up work for Sandbrook, (with Fred, always with Fred) and then hesitantly asking her to stop by the station for lunch on her day off...,she hoped she knew where this was going. She was ready for it to go somewhere. She hoped he was, too.

Ellie hurried over to the child minder's to pick up Fred, who had miraculously taken a good nap. she took that as a positive sign. She called Tom, who had let himself in the house after football. "Have you taken your shower yet?" She asked as she buckled wriggly Fred into his car seat.

"No. Just got in," Tom replied.

"Well. Go ahead and do it. Some plans have come up. Want to go to the fun fair?"

"I guess."

"I'm bringing Fred home and then we'll get ready and go over to DI Hardy's house and have some pizza and then go." She was behind the wheel. 

"Why?" came the reply.

Ellie rested her head against the steering wheel, resisting the urge to bang it a couple of times. She really wanted Tom on board with this. She knew Hardy had already won over Fred (She really had no idea how since he'd been a stressed out git most of the time and only recently started calling him "Fred" consistently.) Fred was crazy about Uncle Alec. She took a breath, then answered. She hoped she sounded more casual than she felt. "He texted me before, all grumpy because they practically set up on top of his chalet, then he asked me if we'd come over. I think that was his way of telling me he really wants to spend some time with us." Without telling me he wants to spend time with us, she mentally amended.

"Why?" She really hoped he wasn't trying to be difficult. 

"Tom. "

"So you are dating then?"

"Trying to," Ellie answered, willing herself to be patient. "Will you be ready?"

A pause. "Yeah."

She opened her eyes. "Okay then. See you in a mo." The call disconnected.

"Mumma, go! No sleep!" She chuckled at her little boy.

"Did you think I took a nap there? No, I was just talking to your exasperating brother." She checked her watch. "We need to move it, move it, Fred!" Fred was singing his own garbled version of one of his favorite songs from his favorite movie as they drove home.

******  
Hardy was rather aggravated with himself after ending his conversation with Miller. he mumbled to himself, exasperated. "I asked her out. By text. Really? By bloody text? And started it by complaining, as per usual. Well, at least she knows it was me. A text. I told her about my major surgery by text,so I reckon she wasn't necessarily surprised...... "

Hardy pulled a pair of jeans and a t- shirt out of a drawer. She wouldn't recognize him. It was starting to really warm up lately, and he thought he'd probably be too hot walking around in jeans, but it was either that or work clothes. He supposed he should eventually make a trip to the storage facility where he kept belongings he had moved from what was now Tess' house. Hardy had no room for anything extra when he lived at the Traders. He had a bit more room now and he had picked out a few things to bring to his little blue house. But the bulk of it stayed in the storage cube, because bringing more seemed like making a commitment to Broadchurch.

Hardy changed clothes quickly and checked his watch. Still thirty minutes to go. Time moved slowly when you were alone with your thoughts. 

Forty five minutes later he was still alone with his thoughts. He saw a car pulling up, and tried to quash the  
"About bloody time" thought. There were three knocks on the door, followed by a rapid succession of toddler sized knocks lower on the door. He cracked a smile at that. He yanked the door open and looked right at Fred. "Who's that knocking at my door?" His voice was gruff but his eyes were twinkling. He held back a smile for all of five seconds. Ellie thought that smiling looked good on him and resolved to make it happen more.

"Fwed?" Fred said.

"Oh. Well that's okay, then." Hardy stepped aside to let them in. 

"You only did that so you'd get the name right," Ellie kidded.

"I know perfectly well who wee Ferdinand is," he smirked, extending his hand to shake hands with Fred and getting a sideways high- five in return. "Hullo, Tom."

"Hi," Tom mumbled. He motioned them into the little sitting room. Fred went straight into the kitchen, hearing the fun fair music. Tom took off after him so they didn't have a little escapee on their hands. 

Since the coast was clear, Hardy awkwardly and quickly aimed a kiss in Ellie's general direction. It landed on the corner of her mouth. She faced him and pecked him straight on the lips with a smile full of mischief. "Better check on the boys," she grinned. It was fun to flirt with the easily flustered.

"Aye," said Hardy, flustered. They entered the kitchen, where Fred was expressing his displeasure at his brother. Tom looked relieved. Hardy scooped up the little boy.

"The Hulk," he said, pointing at the picture on Fred's t-shirt. "Marvel, nice."

"Him gween," Fred announced somberly. Hardy nodded in agreement, equally somberly. "Him arms!" Fred growled as he flexed his tiny arm muscles. Hardy grinned broadly. Ellie thought herself lucky that Hardy had at least won over two out of the three of them. Then she was handed a minor miracle.

"You read Marvel?" Tom mumbled.

"Yeah, used to. I had tons of 'em. Most are gone but I kept some. I guess they're in storage now," Hardy replied, just as surprised as Ellie but seeing the opening, he took it.

"Who did you read?"

"Hulk mostly. Iron Man too."

Tom nodded, apparently approving. 

"Oh...pizza's here. Came about five minutes before you." Hardy announced, getting the box off the counter. The next few minutes were taken up by serving pizza and filling glasses (and convincing Fred they could turn a pepperoni pizza into a cheese by removing the pepperoni.)' Hardy and Tom fell into an easy discussion about their favorite comic books and Ellie watched, happy. She wasn't naive enough to think this would smooth everything out. Tom was still a young boy who effectively lost his dad and Hardy was still the copper who arrested him. It would take some time before Tom let him in. But things were looking up at the moment. 

It didn't take long for them to tear through the pizza. By the time the four of them stepped out of the back door of Hardy's house the sky was starting to become pink with a spectacular sunset. 

The fun fair lights, which were hard to see blinking on and off in full sun, were shining in all their glory now. A Ferris wheel glowed in the distance and colored light bulbs flashed as if they were chasing each other around the perimeter of booths and rides. Pop music blared from overhead speakers and the smell of popcorn and candy floss filled the air. Ellie couldn't stop smiling. Fred held one of Hardy's hands and one of hers and they swung his arms back and forth. 

"Oh, the teacups, Uncle Alec," Ellie called out over the sound of loud music and carnival barkers. 

"You want to?" he challenged, pulling them toward the ticket booth. "I'm here to ride, how about you?" 

They queued up for the ticket line. Hardy reckoned that they had saved money on food so a few overpriced rides and games wouldn't hurt the wallet badly. Ellie picked her impatient toddler up as Hardy approached the window to purchase tickets. He paid for an armband for Tom, which allowed for unlimited rides and purchased a few individual tickets for the rest of them. Ellie's eyes were wide with surprise. She had expected some walking around and maybe some candy floss but had no idea Hardy was into it that much.

He leaned in and said in her ear, "Last time we walked through one of these, I wanted to buy the three of us tickets and ride that damn teacup. But I knew I couldn't risk it. Well, I can now." Then his lips brushed her cheek. She ignored the throat clearing of her older son behind them. 

"Sounds like a plan, then," she smiled. 

They quickly decided that Tom was better off spinning with Ellie and Hardy would do a gentler spin with Fred in a separate teacup. "Remember at Disney? He couldn't even ride, so I got to ride all the big deal stuff twice." Tom reminded Ellie.

"We spent a day at the Magic Kingdom when we went to Florida," Ellie explained. "We did a lot of trading off since Fred was so little. You can finally ride, big guy. Well, some of them, anyway. And Tom spent the whole day on Space Mountain practically so I don't remember covering much of the park."

"Six times, Mum. We rode six times." Ellie laughed. 

"Sounds like a fun way to get whiplash, " Hardy commented. "Glad you have some good memories of it."

Ellie smiled wistfully. The ride operator opened the gate then, allowing them entrance to the teacups. Ellie and Tom took a yellow teacup, Fred and Hardy a blue one. The paint was chipped and the mechanism looked ancient and both Hardy and Miller were hoping they maintained the rides, but then the teacups were beginning to gather speed on the track.

In Ellie's teacup, the evil grin of her son laid down a challenge. She grinned back, equally evil, and grabbed the steering wheel. In a couple of seconds their teacup was whirling around as the cups spun around on the track. Tom and Ellie each took turns spinning the cup, guffawing. It was probably the first time since their Florida holiday that they had laughed so hard together.  
Even as their equilibrium was put to the test, the laughter and joy shown in both their eyes.

In Hardy and Fred's teacup things were a lot calmer but no less happy. Immediately upon the ride's start, Fred had hollered, "Me 'pin it!" and clambered into Hardy's lap. Hardy had about a second to be surprised before Fred was trying to wrestle control away from him. He slid his large hands under Fred's chubby little ones and together they spun the wheel. It was a lot slower than Ellie's but Fred was screeching laughter. Hardy was laughing right along with him. It was infectious, he couldn't help himself if he tried. He glanced at a yellow teacup spinning wildly by and caught Miller and Tom, laughing. Ellie had her head thrown back, eyes closed, and she was absolutely radiant. The brief sight of her beautiful and smiling in the sunset light caused something to unlock in his chest. The feeling was...lighthearted. That was the only way to describe it. He'd gone so long with a malfunctioning heart, that when it was finally fixed he felt a huge weight, both physical and mental had been lifted. Now it felt even lighter, with this little boy laughing with him and his mother glowing like she was. He knew at that moment, he would do whatever he needed to do, whatever it took, to not screw this up. 

In the yellow teacup Ellie had finally called "uncle" because the evening would come to a rather messy end if they didn't stop the wild spinning. She and Tom were still laughing, but Tom had his eyes closed and his head back against the seat. She caught the sight of a blue teacup going by. In it, Alec Hardy was helping her little boy spin the teacup in much slower circles. Both were laughing and she thought again how wonderful it felt to see him smile, how safe her boy looked in his arms and she knew in that moment, that very moment, that her own heart was light for the first time in a very long time. She also knew her heart belonged to Alec Hardy.

******  
Tom and Ellie needed to sit down a bit to get their equilibrium back. So Hardy and the youngest Miller traveled to a candy floss booth, hand in hand. They purchased 4 spun sugar candies and made their way back, Fred already hopelessly sticky before he made it back to his mother. 

"Thanks! I think I can actually eat it now," Ellie said, accepting hers. "Tom is evil."

"Mum didn't let up either," Tom informed him. "If I'm sick later it's all her fault!" His attention was diverted by a group of people over by the bumper cars. "Mum- there's Chris Bryce and his family. Can I go talk to him? They're all there." 

Ellie knew that when he saw Chris likely she wouldn't see Tom much more that night. She looked at her watch. "Do you have your phone on you?" He looked at her like she had lost some IQ points spinning in the teacup. "You can hang out with him- if his parents are okay with it- until 9:30. I'll text you then and if I don't hear back it won't be pretty. Understand?"

"Yeah," Tom agreed. 

"Wait, wait...." Ellie opened up her phone's camera and switched the lens to face them. "I want a souvenir of tonight. 'S better than a fish that dies after two days or a six foot tall SpongeBob."

"Aw...." Tom moaned.

"A selfie?" Hardy protested. "Here, I'll take it."

"No. The grumpy Scottish git stays in the picture." She held out her camera. 

"Nobody ever takes a good selfie," Hardy interjected.

"Don't recall asking for your opinion. Now smile, dammit."

"'Mile, dammit," Fred chimed in and Tom cracked up laughing. 

"Fred, don't talk like your mother," said his mother. "That's a swear!" 

"Then don't use swears!" Tom advised.

"Take the picture, Miller," Hardy commanded.

"Yes, sir!" 

He threw his arm around her, she held Fred so his cheek rested against hers, and Tom crossed his arms. He didn't scoot in closer so she settled for him hovering in the corner of the frame. He wasn't frowning, but he wasn't quite smiling, either. It was the best she was going to get. She snapped a couple of pictures "Can I go over...." Tom began and Ellie nodded. The Bryces were by the basketball toss game across the way. 

"9:30," Ellie called, and he nodded. They watched him jog over to Chris Bryce. The pair immediately started conversing.

"That's the first friend....since Danny...that he's mentioned he'd like to have over. He goes to the same school. New to it, just like Tom. His parents and sister are with him over there. Louisa's six so there's a big age difference between siblings, just like Tom...... I hope he can call this one his best friend. Chris is really nice." Ellie and Hardy began walking to the toddler kiddie coaster. 

"Glad he has a friend," Hardy said.

"He told me once, after he moved out of Lucy's,that he thought he just wouldn't seek out a new friend because it hurt too much. I am so glad he changed his mind." They lined up to put Fred on the kiddie coaster. He raised his little arms up to be held, so Hardy scooped him up in one arm and caught Ellie's hand in other hand. Ellie felt like she had a lot more to be glad about. Ellie pulled her phone out again and showed Alec the picture. "Not a bad picture," she decided. Hardy considered and nodded.

"Text me that one," he requested. She grinned and granted his request.

One ride on the kiddie coaster turned into two with Alec and Ellie enthusiastically waving to Fred as he passed by in the brightly colored caterpillar shaped car passed by them. By the second trip around Alec had hesitantly thrown an arm around Ellie's shoulders. She wrapped and arm around his waist, angling herself so she could still take pictures of Fred with her phone. 

Ellie checked her phone screen and saw she had gotten a good one of Fred, arms up, whooping and hollering as the little roller coaster rolled by at a snail's pace. In his mind, he was on a very wild ride and his huge grin reflected that. She held the phone up to show Hardy, but then she realized that he had been watching her. She gave him a small smile, and he glanced down at her mouth then leaned in for a soft kiss. It was sweet, and chaste but promised more to come. When the kiss ebbed away she smiled wider and snuggled into his side. The ride was coming to a stop, so they made their way to the exit hand in hand. 

It was a pleasant trip around the kiddie rides. Fred took a couple of rides on the tiny Ferris wheel and the carousel. Once Ellie held him on his horse and they waved enthusiastically at a smiling Hardy, and the next time around Hardy volunteered. He held Fred on a carousel tiger, which they both decided was cooler than the carousel horse. They went back to the teacups and Hardy got that ride he wanted but couldn't take before his surgery. As they stepped off the ride, laughing and slightly dizzy, she bumped into him, which ended up turning into a quick snog. They had to stop to move out of the way of the other riders.

Scanning the crowd she quickly saw Tom and Chris playing a game, Chris' sister Louisa tagging along with them. "I'll bet Tom didn't count on that," Ellie giggled, nodding toward the boys. "I hope they're not totally ignoring her." A few steps away she saw another familiar face make surprised eye contact with her. It was Chloe, holding hands with Dean. He was bearing a ridiculously large SpongeBob plushy. Both of them were staring in a way she knew they hoped wasn't obvious but they were failing miserably. Ellie waved with a bright smile. Hardy waved awkwardly. 

"Guess we gave them something to talk about," Hardy said. 

"Do you mind that?"

"Nope. Why should I? Do you?"

"Absolutely not." He smiled at her again. Fred started tugging at his jeans leg and raised his arms. Hardy scooped him up and Fred put his head on his shoulder. "Someone's getting tired. I'm surprised he didn't pitch a fit. He must be trying to impress you." She checked her watch. "915. Tom still has some time."

"Let's take one more ride," Hardy said. "A quiet one. Not quite ready to send you home yet, Miller."

"I'm Miller still and you've been snoggin' me all evening. You'd think I'd finally get an Ellie."

"I haven't snogged you yet. When I snog you, you won't mistake it for anything else." His tone was light but his eyes were dark. Those words, delivered in that accent, caused her brain to cease function for a couple of seconds before she recovered.

"I'll be on the lookout for that, then,". Ellie responded. 

"See that you do." 

They were standing in front of the Ferris wheel now. "Want to?" Hardy asked.

"Can we take Fred on that?" Ellie asked dubiously. 

"Look, it's the kind where your feet are enclosed- they don't hang out. And I think I see a couple with their little one on it," he pointed out. She saw the little family riding on it and was won over. "I'll hold Fred on my lap." 

"Sure, why not. I love lookin' at carnivals from a Ferris wheel. All the lights....looks magical."

"Yeah, all the fixed games and dubiously maintained rides," he smirked, earning him an arm slap from Ellie.

"Oh, shut up."

"My friend Doug told me once a bolt from a roller coaster dropped right in his lap...."

She was laughing now, "Wanker! You're the one tryin' to get me on it!"

"In the interest of full disclosure...." They were laughing now, and Fred joined them, without knowing why. 

After a few minutes' wait, they entered the Ferris wheel car. It rotated them up to allow the next riders on. They heard laughs and saw the car above them swinging. "Lucy used to do that. It drove me spare riding with her!" Ellie rolled her eyes. 

"Are you nervous about ridin' these things?" He hoped not. He was going to kick himself if he got her into an uncomfortable situation.

"No. I feel perfectly safe with you." He grinned. "You don't seem like a Ferris wheel rule breaker to me. And you're holdin' my kid, too." He slipped an arm around her shoulders so that he was holding her too. 

They stopped a few more times before the wheel started turning in earnest. At first Fred wouldn't raise his head from Alec's shoulder but after a few minutes he was sitting up, watching the world go by. "Wow," he kept repeating. A few spins later, however, Hardy felt the sleepy weight of a little boy settle against his chest.  
Fred's fingers had migrated to his mouth and he was watching the lights go by with heavy eyelids. He looked at Ellie, about to remark on Fred, but she was gazing at him, specifically his mouth, and then suddenly her mouth was on his. His hand acted independently from the rest of him (since his mouth was still catching up) and he pressed his palm to the back of her head and sealed their mouths together more firmly. With a hesitant touch of her tongue to his lips, his mouth caught up and opened easily to hers. It wasn't like a first real snog at all. They fell into sweet exploration of each other's mouths, tasting and tasting until Fred started wriggling. The kiss ebbed away and they both chuckled. 

"Such a cliche, snoggin' on a Ferris wheel," Ellie said, eyes sparkling.

"It's not a cliche until we're stopped at the top." They stopped at the top. Alec went in for another kiss and Fred giggled and pushed his face away. "Not going to let me kiss your mum?"

"No kiss," Fred confirmed. 

"You know, I'm probably going to want to kiss her again," Alec told Fred, talking man to man. "That okay with you?" Fred shrugged. Alec took what he could get. 

"People who snog me have to call me by my given name, you know," Ellie pointed out. 

"Lemme work up to it," Alec said. "Do you have lots of people snoggin' you, by the way?"

Ellie arched an eyebrow, eyes sparkling. full of mischief. "No....just some grouchy Scottish wanker who still manages to piss me off sixty percent of the time."

"Good," he said with a smirk.

"And he'd better call me Ellie or the percentage will go up." At that moment her phone buzzed. "Oh, it's Tom- wondering where we are." She typed a note back to him.

"Missed your curfew, I take it," he said. The ferris wheel started moving again. "So....heading home, then?"

"This little man is so sleepy. I really should..... I'm off tomorrow. One of the teachers at his school has a daughter who babysits. Maybe I could get her for a while tomorrow."

"That'd be nice."

"I think we need a grownup evening out."

"Aye." The ride operator opened the car. Fred decided he wanted Mumma, so Alec relinquished the boy and took Ellie's free hand. 

"Who'd 'ave thought you'd be such a romantic,"she said lightly, swinging his hand a bit. 

"Grumpy Scottish wankers can be romantic, Ellie. See, I am capable of callin' y' Ellie."

"I'm impressed. You've likely earned yourself another snog." 

"I'll be collectin' that.....Ellie."

"You're gonna be saying that over and over, aren't you. Alec."

"Yes, Ellie, I will." He was smirking. If Ellie hadn't spotted Tom standing with the Bryces by the candy floss booth she likely would have stopped and collected that snog right then and there. 

"You're a right smart arse, aren't you?" she said as she caught Tom's eye. 

"That I am, Ellie."

"I like it," she said over her shoulder as she sped up to meet Tom. Alec was momentarily stunned by her cheeky grin. Of course he'd seen it before. It was that this time, it made his stomach do a pleasant flip.

In the short conversation that followed, Tom reminded his mother of a football game at noon she had forgotten about and gotten permission to spend the night at Chris' house for the first time. Alec had also gotten an invitation to the game (from Tom, after Chris and his family left and they were walking back to the house). Ellie felt that she was in the presence of another minor miracle. 

Alec walked Ellie and Fred to their car while Tom dashed into his house to use the loo. Fred's eyes were closed when she buckled him into his seatbelt. Enjoying a moment of relative privacy, Alec and Ellie both went in for a snog at the same time. Before she knew it she had her hand in his hair as their lips and tongues tasted each other breathless. However, they had to be mindful of Tom returning and the kiss ended sooner than both would have liked. Forehead to forehead they stood, trying to calm down. "Get that sitter?" Alec asked breathlessly.

"Absolutely."

They heard the door behind them, and they broke apart. Alec kissed Ellie's forehead briefly. "Game's at noon," Ellie reminded him.

"Sounds like your mum's the one who needed reminding," Alec smirked.

"Oh, shut up." He gave her hand a squeeze then the Millers were in the car, driving away.

Alec Hardy stood watching them go, thoughts whirling through his brain. Where he and Ellie had been, where their future could possibly could head. He had spent so much time wondering if Broadchurch would be the end of everything for him. It was a relief to feel that something was starting. With a sigh he turned back to his little blue chalet and briefly thought of heading to the storage cube on Sunday to bring some things to his home.


End file.
